Development Management Policies - Direction of ... - Islington Council

5 Housing
5 Housing
Implementing Core Strategy Policy
This chapter helps implement the following Core Strategy Objectives: securing a supply of
housing which encourages mixed communities, where mixed communities include, (but are
not limited to) different tenures, household sizes, and ages (including families, older people
and disabled people), and the following policies: Policy 12 Meeting the housing challenge,
Policy 10 Sustainable Design, Policy 15 Open space and green infrastructure.
5.0.1 Policies in the Core Strategy aim to meet the housing challenge in the borough. Achieving
this requires high quality homes which meet the needs of residents. Issues such as
accessibility, noise, vibration, unit size and mix are considered here. There are also policies
on student accommodation and provision for Gypsies and travellers.
5.0.2 Given the demands for new housing, employment growth and the existing built-up character
of the borough, Islington will continue to be a borough of high density for the UK and
London. Density can be measured in a variety of ways such as habitable rooms per hectare,
people per hectare and dwellings per hectare. The London Plan includes a density matrix
in Table 3A.2 which shows appropriate densities for development in three different urban
character types for London (suburban, urban & central).
5.0.3 The density that is considered acceptable for Islington is the 650 -1100 hr/ha range, the
highest band of the density matrix. This is in line with recent housing scheme permissions
in the borough, with some schemes exceeding this range. Increased density results in
more people living in a particular location and increased pressure on amenities. The need
to maintain and improve people’s quality of life, while building at high densities, has a
number of implications for the management of future development. These include, amongst
other things: requirements for private and public outside amenity space, internal space
requirements for homes, providing accessible and adaptable housing, and providing new
physical and social infrastructure.
Residential space requirements
5.0.4 Homes need to be sensibly planned and functional, designed to meet the demands of
everyday life. Homes should provide privacy, and sufficient space and facilities, including
storage, to enable residents to live comfortably and conveniently. Homes should be
adaptable to accommodate residents' changing needs and circumstances, such as mobility
requirements, and the likely needs of diverse households over the life of the dwelling.
5.0.5 The low level of public open space, and the high-density of built form in Islington, means
that private outdoor space and internal space in the home are even more important to
quality of life (including mental health) than in less densely populated areas. The home is
often one of the few places residents can enjoy peace, quiet and privacy.
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